Exclusive Interview

‘Ultimatum’ Stars Unpack Killian’s Group Text Scandal With Shocking New Details

Season 4 of The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On has been one surprise after the other, from Jebin John’s nasty note for Alex Johnsen to Jessica Grace Booker and Edris Khalieque’s early engagement, but nothing has been more surprising than the falling out between Hayley Hendrich and Killian Grondin, which all started when Hayley spotted vulgar messages about herself in a group chat Killian had with his friends.

Following the premiere of the most dramatic season yet, Season 4 stars Hayley, Ashley Wilson, and Blake Robertson sat down with Swooon to reveal what really happened during the season’s biggest scandal, and all the dramatic moments fans didn’t see on camera. At this time, Killian has not commented.

Things started strong during Hayley and Killian’s trial marriage, having switched places with their exes, Blake and Ashley, who also coupled up. However, it became clear that neither original duo could let go of their relationships, texting their exes throughout the process. Hayley referred to the couples’ reconnection as a “snowball effect.” She explained, “The first day that we had gotten our phones back, [Killian] immediately started texting Ashley, and I was like, ‘Okay, this is interesting.’ And I—it was like that immature type of mentality, ‘Well, if he’s going to do it, then I’m going to do it, too.'”

Blake, Hayley’s original partner, explained, “Hayley on Night 1 was calling me at two in the morning, saying, ‘Hey, I need to talk to you. You gotta tell me what’s going through your head. Why did you choose a girl?’ My typical type is definitely a Latina, but for me to go and choose a girl from Texas that’s a blonde was, for her, just totally foreign. I think for them it was definitely a little bit of a shell shock.”

Netflix

With all four cast members involved in both trial marriages, things took a turn for the worse. During Episode 4, viewers watch Hayley confront Killian about messages she read in his group chat. She told him, “I do not appreciate at all what you and your friends are talking about… The disrespect. That I won’t put out for you… And then your friends saying they’re gonna f**k me and change the show’s plot? And you just let them say that? ‘You went from a big, titty, blonde b***h to a f**king flat-a** brunette b*tch.'” Killian fired back, “I didn’t say any of that.” Hayley argued that being part of the conversation made him complacent.

While viewers saw Hayley confront Killian about the messages, she filled Swooon in on how and when she spotted him texting in the group chat. “Him and I were sitting in the car waiting to go meet my aunt, and we had just got in an argument earlier that morning about him texting Ashley. I was like, ‘Dude, can you just stop?'” When she saw that Killian was on his phone in the car, she assumed he was texting Ashley.

She continued, “He was on his phone, and I was like, ‘Oh, like what’s he up to?’ I mean, that’s probably wrong for me to be so nosy and invade his privacy like that, but I am glad I did. I looked over to see if he was texting Ashley because I usually could tell by the contact photo.” That’s when she saw that he was texting in a group chat with two other guys. “I scooted in closer, and he had his sunglasses on, so I guess he didn’t see that I was like very close to him at that point,” Hayley said. “I was just reading the messages, and I saw what I saw, and I was fuming.” She thought, “I have to take a picture of this because I don’t want anyone to say that I’m lying, because you can easily delete messages.” She claimed that Killian did not notice her taking the photo.

“That is absolutely disgusting and so degrading. And no man should ever talk about a woman like that,” Hayley told Swooon. “And they all had girlfriends.”

During Episode 5, Hayley read from her screenshot, revealing the texts specifically read, “Killian went from big boob babe to flat brunette L. Haha… who won’t even put out. F**ked up.” She alleged that Killian was typing, “It is kind of f**ked up.” And then one of his friends wrote, “We’re gonna bang her and change the show’s history. Anal Ultimatum cast member.” According to Hayley, Killian responded, “Hahaha, that was f**king wild.” Later, she referred to the conversation as his friends threatening to “gang bang” her.

Netflix

According to Hayley’s original boyfriend, Blake, a lot of the falling out surrounding Killian’s group chat scandal was not shown. “One of the things that wasn’t shown on the show, which I was actually confused about a little bit, is I did go over to Killian’s apartment, and he and I had a sit-down where I was just like, ‘Man, hey, what in the world are you doing?’ And it was intense, and we had a falling out together where we hashed it out in person.'”

Blake claimed during his interview with Swooon that Hayley coincidentally ran into Killian’s two friends from the group chat while meeting up with Blake’s dad and stepmom. “Two days later, when my family was still in town, Hayley reached out to my father and said, ‘Hey, I want to come see you guys just to get my brain off of the show.’ Well, one of the things that was really confusing for me is that the two guys from the group chat that said all the stuff about the anal bang or whatever, they ended up being at the Encore Beach Club, where my family was. Hayley ended up getting their Instagrams and getting drinks bought for her by them, and they had a full-on hangout session.”

He continued, “That was really confusing for me because I was like, ‘Wait, timeout. That was a major plot line in the story that these guys objectified your body, and they degraded you, and that was not okay. Yet you are hanging out with them the very next day.’ I was very confused because, in a weird way, I didn’t know if it was, and this is weird to say, I didn’t know if that was a tactic for Hayley to try to get me to pull away from Ashley and spend more of my mental energy focused on her. There were definitely some doubts that went in my head about, ‘Was that as bad as she made it out to be?’ Because it was definitely bad. I mean, there were some offensive things that were said, but to go the next day and hang out with the guys?” Blake did confirm that, to his understanding, Hayley ran into the guys completely coincidentally. They bought Hayley and his stepmom margaritas.

While viewers saw both Hayley and Blake try to confront Ashley about the messages on Killian’s phone, she took her original partner’s side, questioning whether Hayley and Blake were trying to manipulate her to make better television.

Related

Who Was Kicked Off 'The Ultimatum' Season 4?

“I just had like this weird feeling that [Blake] was like starting to manipulate the situation and make more drama for TV,” Ashley told Swooon. “I’m very easily swayed, like I believe anything everyone says just because I think I do have a good heart, and I’ll believe everything. I’m a little bit naive. When I tried to understand Killian a little bit and how he was feeling, I don’t think Blake liked that, and kind of went into putting things into my head, and I didn’t like that. I just wanted to make my own opinions, and I don’t think I was able to.”

Explaining her reaction to the group chat when she first heard about the messages, Ashley revealed, “I’m trying to understand. Maybe it’s just like boy talk. Is it over-exaggerated? I have no idea. So I was trying to be understanding of like, ‘Okay, maybe this was his friends talking and not him,’ but at the same time, like, ‘Why aren’t you standing up for her?'”

Of course, Ashley also knows Killian’s friends. “I know they can be a little bit—They’re boys,” she told Swooon. “I know they can say out-of-question things, but I’ve never heard them say anything that vulgar. So it was a little bit of a shock to me. I always let things go that I shouldn’t. I felt bad for Hayley.”

We’ll have to wait until the finale and reunion to find out where this foursome stands now, but it’s clear they have a lot of things to sort out on stage.

The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On, Season 4, Episodes 1-8, Streaming Now, Netflix

The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On, Season 4, Episodes 9-10, July 22, Netflix